Statement on Commonwealth Bank report

Sydney Airport has ample capacity to meet forecast demand to at least 2045.

The analysis of Sydney Airport capacity included in the CBA report released on 7 January 2013, is based on flawed assumptions. In particular, the report assumes no changes to the current configuration of the airport, ignoring the fact that:

Sydney Airport is constantly investing in additional capacity – in excess of $2 billion has been spent in the last 10 years; and

We are consulting with stakeholders on the new vision concept plan, announced in December 2011, that would unlock additional capacity and drive greater efficiency for airlines and passengers.

Additionally, the report doesn’t take into account the fact that aviation is continually becoming more efficient across the world. Sydney Airport has achieved a 40 per cent increase in passengers since 2000 with virtually no increase in aircraft movements and is one of the busiest A380 airports in the world.

The government’s own study on aviation capacity released in early 2012 said Sydney Airport would remain NSW and Australia’s primary airport now and into the future and that we should be taking full advantage of its location just eight kilometres from the city centre to drive economic growth.

We agree that due to outdated regulations, Sydney Airport is underutilised compared to other international airports. Australia and Sydney would benefit from a fresh look at policies that better reflect the growth in larger, greener and quieter aircraft to replace the existing regulatory settings that were made close to 20 years ago and haven’t kept pace with these changes.